The European seasons have arrived. For Americans Abroad, the clock continues to tick, another landmark down on the road to the 2026 World Cup. This weekend, competitions throughout Europe will kick off – and some already began.
With the transfer window open until the end of the month, pieces continue to move around the chessboard. By and large, thought, this is it: the final club season before national teams gather for the World Cup next summer. That comes with pressure, particularly on the group of U.S. men’s national team stars jostling for places.
Some will be fighting on their league’s elite teams. Americans are key pieces at both PSV and Celtic, two clubs that will look to continue their dominance atop their leagues. Others will be looking to get there, with Johnny Cardoso’s Atletico Madrid, Folarin Balogun’s Monaco and Tim Weah’s Marseille eager to leap back into title contention against the superpowers in the league.
Ahead the European season, BALLGM takes a closer look at the expectations for Americans Abroad. Next up: a look at Ligue 1, La Liga, the Eredivisie and more.
Americans Abroad Previews: Premier League | Serie A | Bundesliga
The European seasons have arrived. For Americans Abroad, the clock continues to tick, another landmark down on the road to the 2026 World Cup. This weekend, competitions throughout Europe will kick off – and some already began.
With the transfer window open until the end of the month, pieces continue to move around the chessboard. By and large, thought, this is it: the final club season before national teams gather for the World Cup next summer. That comes with pressure, particularly on the group of U.S. men’s national team stars jostling for places.
Some will be fighting on their league’s elite teams. Americans are key pieces at both PSV and Celtic, two clubs that will look to continue their dominance atop their leagues. Others will be looking to get there, with Johnny Cardoso’s Atletico Madrid, Folarin Balogun’s Monaco and Tim Weah’s Marseille eager to leap back into title contention against the superpowers in the league.
Ahead the European season, BALLGM takes a closer look at the expectations for Americans Abroad. Next up: a look at Ligue 1, La Liga, the Eredivisie and more.
There’s a chance that two-thirds of the USMNT’s starting attack at next summer’s World Cup will have earned their way there in France‘s top flight.
Balogun has been in the league, first on loan with Reims and now with Monaco, but the USMNT striker heads into this season with a point to prove. After injuries derailed last season for both club and country, he is now a part of a very different Monaco team, one that features plenty of competition in the attack as they look to reclaim their place among Ligue 1’s elite.
Marseille were right up there last season, finishing second, and they signed Weah ahead of this season. The USMNT winger has joined the club on an initial loan with an obligation to buy, which means that Marseille will have plans to utilize him this season and beyond. It remains to be seen if Weah is more winger or wingback, much like it was when he was at Juventus.
Tanner Tessmann is at another one of the league’s big clubs, Lyon, who will be riding high after surviving chaos this summer. Cleared to remain in Ligue 1 and play in Europa League after being threatened with relegation due to financial issues, Lyon’s situation has settled. Tessmann wants to lock down a spot as a deep-lying midfielder despite competition from former Liverpool youngster Tyler Morton. He faces similar competition with the USMNT after missing out on the Gold Cup.
And, finally, there’s Mark McKenzie at Toulouse. The centerback stepped up last season, proving that he can play at a higher level after moving to Ligue 1 from Belgium. He’ll look to take it one step further now in his sophomore season as he, too, finds himself in a positional battle with the U.S., having served as a backup to Chris Richards and Tim Ream this summer.
There were a number of big USMNT transfers this summer. Johnny Cardoso’s move to Atletico Madrid might be the biggest. Despite injury issues this summer, it was an eventful offseason for Cardoso, who completed his $35 million move to one of La Liga’s biggest clubs.
The transfer was a like-for-like replacement for Rodrigo de Paul, who linked up with old pal Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. At Atleti, Cardoso will now play under one of the best and most passionate head coaches in the game has, Diego Simeone, as he looks to put his USMNT struggles behind him at one of the world’s biggest and best clubs.
He’s not the only American in La Liga this season. Reports out of Spain indicate that Diego Kochen may get time in goal for Barcelona to start the season amid a goalkeeper registration crisis. It would be a huge moment for the young shot-stopper, one that would certainly aid his ambitions of making a push towards the World Cup roster at just 19 years old.
The season has already started for PSV, and it’s started well. They’ve already lifted the Johan Cruyff Cup, earning a bit of silverware before then winning their first match of the Eredivisie campaign.
Sergino Dest is off to a strong start, with goals in each of those two matches. After missing so much of last season with an ACL injury, Dest looks eager to make up for lost time. That’s huge news for both PSV and the USMNT, who are surely glad to welcome back a defender that offers something totally unique and dangerous in the attacking end.
Ricardo Pepi, ultimately, is the guy tasked with making things happen in that attacking end, and he, like Dest, is on the comeback trail. The striker was as hot as any forward in the world in January, but a knee injury knocked him out for the rest of the season. PSV have been content to ease him in since, giving him a 29-minute run-out in the cup win.
Also in the Eredivisie? Taylor Booth, a player with two USMNT caps. After joining Twente in February, he’ll be eager to lock down a bigger role with the club as he looks to prove he has the quality to be a part of the U.S. player pool.
In Scotland, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty and Celtic will look to claim yet another league title, having lifted the trophy last season. Celtic, as always, are a dominant force in their domestic league, but both American defenders will face competition for centerback spots in a team that continues to upgrade it’s squad all over the pitch.
Belgium, meanwhile, is home to a few USMNT hopefuls. Marlon Fossey is off to a good start to the season with Standard Liege, while Griffin Yow and Bryan Reynolds remain at Westerlo for the time being despite transfer rumors all summer long.
In terms of youngsters, keep an eye on Josh Wynder as he looks to break through at Benfica.
